By 2018, more than 112 million wearable devices will enter the market. Unfortunately, the power/performance profile of wearables remains much lower than those of smartphones. The problem is that these devices can use only small batteries, and small batteries cannot provide the operating life demanded by consumers. New Electronics surveys up-and-coming technologies to see if a solution is on the horizon. While better batteries are expected, don't look for a silver bullet in the next five years. Energy harvesting is promising, but efficiencies cannot provide sufficient power for any length of time. The brightest hope rests in sub-threshold design techniques.

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Be assured of the high quality and long life essential to UPS systems. Aerovox's UPS capacitors are constructed with metalized polypropylene film technology using the latest design techniques. Our unique testing protocol includes 100% electrical testing followed by a high voltage five-minute burn-in/aging test, then by five high current discharge pulses, effectively screening out the potential for infantile or early life failures.

Forget about thermoelectric generators and wireless charging, and go back to nature to charge your mobile devices. Insert the Hydrobee's turbine battery into its Stream Body, and lower it into moving water for 2 or 3 hr. Once the battery is charged, take the Stream Body out of the water, remove the battery, attach your mobile gadgets to the battery's USB port, and begin charging.

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Installed in the gondola of windmills, BLOCK Power transformers, inductors, and filters supply exactly the required current and voltage. Under extreme application and environmental conditions, both onshore and offshore, these components work reliably and efficiently in areas that possess temperature variations of more than 70°C. This is thanks to "BlockIMPEX" — a special impregnation process.

Wireless charging guru Steve Rizzone sees a day in the not-too-distant future when mobile devices will begin wirelessly charging as soon as they come within range of router-like devices. Leading the way to that moment is a technology called WattUp, which can charge multiple devices in a 15 ft radius. Other wireless charging devices use ultrasound or magnetic resonance, but have limited range.

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The LT®8584 is a monolithic flyback DC/DC converter designed to actively balance high voltage stacks of batteries. These battery stacks are commonly found in electric and hybrid vehicles as well as fail-safe power supplies and energy storage systems. The LT8584 offers high efficiency active balancing.

More than just a data interface, the new USB 3.1 Type-C connector delivers as much as 100 W of power, with 5 V, 12 V, and 20 V on the pins. Even the current has been bumped up to 5 A. Beyond providing more power, the specification sports a level of flexibility that promises to support a whole new range of devices and functions.

You may not have to "sweat bullets" much longer over finding an energy source for your mobile device. Initially designed to detect lactate levels during exercise, a biosensor in the form of a temporary tattoo also harvests power from perspiration. While currently collecting only 70 µW, improvements in the sensor's design could provide enough energy to support small electronic devices.

To meet growing demand for efficient, compact power supplies, Renesas offers Simple Power Supply ICs that deliver 16 V input-capable synchronous buck regulators and continuous 3 A current to loads at voltages down to 0.8 V. These ICs take aim at a broad cross-section of industries, sporting the necessary qualifications to serve systems requiring low-power standby mode or backup power.

Most mobile chargers are too bulky or simply don't have the juice to fully charge a mobile device. The Oivo, however, takes the form of a key fob and promises to bring your iPhone batteries back to life as fast as any AC charger. All you need are four standard AA batteries. Shipments will begin this December. Unfortunately, no Android version is available yet.

The ECE60 series of single-output, encapsulated 60 W AC-DC power supplies from XP Power targets slim-profile, high-power density, low no-load power consumption applications. The series consists eight models that provide nominal output voltages from 3.3 VDC to 48 VDC. To accommodate high start-up current, the design allows a peak load capability as high as 130% of the rated output power for 30 seconds.